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From The 570 to SFX
Visual effects artist Jeremy Carroll goes Hollywood

Archbald native Jeremy Carroll has helped superheroes save the earth, has brought 40-foot tall giants down to size, and can lay claim to having seen the RMS Titanic sink first-hand ? but he was once thwarted by a pause button. This writer first met Carroll through his father, Tim, who once posed this vexing question: ?Do you have any idea how to freeze a film and take a picture?? Beaming with pride, he continued, ?My son worked on the new Thor movie and I wanted a picture of his name in the credits so that I can blow it up, frame it, and show it to everybody.?
With Titanic 3D set to open this weekend, we sat down to talk with Jeremy Carroll about his visual effects work on this particular modern classic and his H?wood CV thus far.
Growing up in the Mid Valley, Carroll remembers going to the Eric Theaters in Dickson City and being blown away by Jurassic Park in particular. ?That was the movie you saw and thought, ?Wow, computers can do this! This is where movies are going.? From that point on, I was like, ?I want to work in movies ? I want to do special effects in movies.??
Initially, Carroll went to Kutztown for graphic design before transferring to the Savannah College of Art & Design to major in visual effects with a minor in gaming and interactivity. He came to work at cutting edge Hollywood visual effects studio Stereo D, however, through the good graces of his college friend, Davis Saunders. One interview and a job offer later, he found himself driving cross-country with his then-girlfriend (now fianc?) Stacy to the studio?s headquarters, which was located on the historic corner of Hollywood and Vine in downtown Hollywood. As Carroll recalled, ?A couple of weeks later, I?m watching Marvel executives walk though the studio and look at the latest footage from Thor and it was just completely surreal.?
Which begs the question: What exactly does a junior lead stereoscopic compositor do?
?I?m helping the artists,? Carroll explained. ?I?m reviewing stuff on the monitor, pushing shots to dallies for review, and attending production meetings, so I?m middle management essentially.?
During the 60 weeks spent converting Titanic to 3D, Carroll got to meet director James Cameron. ?To be honest, his success with Avatar is the driving force behind why we?re making movies in 3D,? he said. ?So he really knows what he wants.? Overall, Carroll promises an immersive experience from seeing the new 3D-enhanced version of the film. ?There are scenes where you?re going down a narrow corridor and the boat is filling up with water and, because of the depth that we put in it, you feel like you?re there.?
Over the last month, Carroll and his team have been wrapping up work on Avengers (due in theaters May 4), which has led to some 80-hour work weeks. ?In 3D, it?s even more in-your-face,? he teased. ?It really takes advantage of the medium and the fact it?s just such a really fun movie.?
Then, in a few more weeks, he and his co-workers will immediately begin visual effects work on another potential summer blockbuster, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

? jeff boam

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